ИСТИНА

During the operation of nuclear power plants (NPPs), fission products from fuel elements enter the primary circuit of the reactor, and than are distributed through the working premises. The main gas radioactive components at nuclear power plants are xenon and krypton isotopes, as well as radioiodine. One of the most important issues that needs to be addressed when organizing the purification of NPPs technological gas streams from radioiodine and inert gas isotopes is the assessment of the minimum required sorbent volume in order to provide the required degree of purification and thereby reliably and effectively protect the atmosphere and environment. This is also important from the standpoint of energy conservation, since the energy consumption associated with the operation of gas- purification equipment directly depends on their hydraulic resistance, i.e., on the sorbent layer height. To date, at the department of High-Energy Chemistry and Radioecology has developed an unified approach to assessing the sorption materials quality applied to gas streams purification from volatile radionuclides. In this regard, an extremely important stage is the development of certified laboratory facilities, on the basis of which tests of such sorbents will be carried out. Researchers at the department are working on a multifunctional facility for studying the behavior of volatile radionuclides. It is planned that it will simulate the actual operating conditions of sorbents in the NPPs gas purification systems in a wide temperature range, providing for both standard operation and probable emergency situations. The installation is supposed to study the properties of both iodine-selective sorbents and materials capable to trapping other gaseous radionuclides – inert gases, tritium and radiocarbon. An important factor is that students and graduate students are actively involved in the work on the development of a laboratory facility, as well as in the testing and development of new types of sorbents. Young researchers gain valuable experience when working on the most advanced equipment and certified devices. The work was supported by Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia. Project Number 2020-008.